Smoking articles such as cigarettes are conventionally made by wrapping a column of tobacco in a white wrapping paper. At one end, the smoking article usually includes a filter through which the article is smoked. Filters are attached to smoking articles using a tipping paper that is glued to the white wrapping paper. The wrapping papers and tipping papers used to construct smoking articles are typically made from flax or other cellulosic fiber and contain a filler, such as calcium carbonate. The column of tobacco, on the other hand, may contain shredded tobacco leaves alone or in combination with reconstituted tobacco.
Smoking articles such as cigars, on the other hand, are made by wrapping a plurality of tobacco leaves together. Cigars typically do not include a filter although various varieties are available that do contain a filtered tip.
When a smoking article is being enjoyed, a user puffs on one end of the smoking article after the smoking article has been lit on an opposite end. The smoke that is inhaled by the user is typically referred to as mainstream smoke. Mainstream smoke contains a variety of constituents that, in combination, provide the smoking article with a particular taste.
Some of the constituents contained in mainstream smoke, however, are scrutinized by government agencies and, therefore, may be undesirable in particular applications. For example, although carbon monoxide levels present in mainstream smoke are relatively low, the cigarette industry has recently been under significant pressure to reduce carbon monoxide levels even further. Such reduced levels may be necessary in the future in order to meet government regulations, such as in Europe or in the United States. As such, a need currently exists for a method of reducing carbon monoxide levels in smoking articles without interfering with the taste of the article or adversely affecting any other properties of the article.